Mrs. LESTER (Lillian A. McDermott) CALLAHAN 1919-2003

SWEENEY, MCDERMOTT, CALLAHAN, GANSEN, BAKEY, LYONS, REARDON

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 11/11/2003 at 20:45:32

Lillian A. Callahan

Telegraph Herald - Sep 15, 2003

Lillian A. "Lil" Callahan, 84, of Ecumenical Tower, died at 1:10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, 2003, at home.

Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Mary''s Catholic Church. Burial will be in St. John''s Cemetery, Placid, rural Epworth, Iowa. Friends may call from 2 to 8:30 p.m. today at Siegert-Didesch Colonial Funeral Home, 390 N. Grandview Ave., where there will be a parish scripture wake service at 4:30 p.m.

She was born on Jan. 27, 1919, in Placid, daughter of Joseph and Alice (Sweeney) McDermott. She married Lester Callahan on Oct. 20, 1937, at St. Joseph''s Catholic Church, Farley, Iowa; he preceded her in death on Dec. 20, 1994.

She enjoyed playing cards with family and her friends at the Ecumenical Tower and was known for her vibrant wit and sense of humor. She was especially proud of her Irish heritage.

Lillian was dearly loved by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and will be greatly missed.

Surviving are her children, Elaine Gansen, of Peosta, Iowa, and Juanita (Jerry) Bakey, Daniel "Buck" (Barb) Callahan, Becky (Terry) Lyons, Don Callahan and Debbie Callahan, all of Dubuque; a sister-in-law, Artie McDermott, of Oklahoma; and 20 grandchildren and 32 great-grandchildren.

She also was preceded in death by a daughter, Kay Reardon; a granddaughter; a son-in-law, Bill Gansen; and four brothers and a sister.

A Lillian A. Callahan Memorial Fund has been established.